Lesson 3.1: Subject and Predicate

What is a Subject?

• Definition: The subject of a sentence is the part that tells who or what the sentence is about. It can be a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase.
• Examples:
  • “The dog (subject) barked loudly.”
  • “She (subject) reads books.”
  • “My favorite band (subject) is playing tonight.”
• Exercises:
  • Identify the subject in each sentence:
    1. “The cat climbed the tree.”
    2. “We enjoyed the movie.”
    3. “His friends are coming over.”

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Topic 3.1.2: What is a Predicate?

• Definition: The predicate of a sentence tells what the subject is doing or describes the subject. It includes the verb and any objects, complements, or adverbs.
• Examples:
  • “The dog (subject) barked loudly (predicate).”
  • “She (subject) reads books (predicate).”
  • “My favorite band (subject) is playing tonight (predicate).”
• Exercises:
  • Identify the predicate in each sentence:
    1. “The sun shines brightly.”
    2. “They went to the park.”
    3. “The book belongs to me.”

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Topic 3.1.3: Subject-Predicate Agreement

• Definition: Subject-predicate agreement is the matching of subjects and predicates in a sentence in terms of number and person.
• Examples of Agreement:
  • Correct: “The cat is on the mat.”
  • Correct: “The cats are on the mat.”
  • Incorrect: “The cat are on the mat.”
• Rules:
  • A singular subject takes a singular verb (e.g., “The dog barks“).
  • A plural subject takes a plural verb (e.g., “The dogs bark“).
• Common Pitfalls:
  • Be careful with collective nouns, compound subjects, and indefinite pronouns:
    • Collective nouns (e.g., team, family) can be either singular or plural.
    • Compound subjects (joined by “and”) are plural.
    • Indefinite pronouns (e.g., anyone, everyone) usually take singular verbs.
• Exercises:
  • Correct the subject-predicate agreement in the following sentences:
    1. “The group are meeting later.”
    2. “The students has completed their projects.”
    3. “Everyone want to go.”